The Bible tells us that God once said, ”Men judge by outward appearance, but I look at a man’s thought and intentions.”1 Samuel 16:7 (Living Bible). We are all sinners in God’s sight; in fact the Bible also says, “All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.” Romans 3:23 . So the first step in becoming a real Christian is to acknowledge you aren’t one! We have to agree with God that we are all sinners in His sight and that sin separates us from Him.
Thankfully the Bible also has some good news for us. It tells us that God loves us and wants to become our friend. He wants us to know him personally and have a lasting relationship with Him. God wants us to belong to His family. The Bible says, “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ (His son) to die for us while we were still sinners”. Romans 5:8.
The Next Step
The next thing God wants from us is to be sorry for our sin. The Bible calls this ‘repentance’.
While this isn’t a word that is common in our vocabulary, it means being so sorry for our sin that we are prepared to do something about it.
God looks for genuine repentance in the heart of anyone wanting to come to Him. It is our first step on the road to restoring our broken relationship with Him. In the words of the apostle Paul,”God commands everyone to repent”. Acts17:30.
God is so patient, so loving. To prove how much He wants you to come to Him, He continually shows His love in every way He can. Why? Paul’s words in the Bible give us the answer: “God’s kindness toward you is to lead you to repentance.” Romans 2:4.
When you are ready to say, “God I know I am a sinner in your sight and am sorry for my sin.” then, He is ready to accept you. ”But”, you might say, “How can He do this? Didn’t He say in the Bible the one who sins is the one to die, Ezekiel 18:20, how can He help me?”
What God Did
Nearly 2000 years ago, when we could do nothing about our sin and the barrier it created between us and God, He provided a substitute to pay the death penalty for our sin. That substitute had to be without sin. Who could be that person? Only God’s son, Jesus Christ, could meet that requirement. So God asked His only son, Jesus, to come into our world and pay the death penalty for our sin. 1 Timothy 1:15 Jesus died so that we might live! by Rev.E.C.Long, (to be continued).
Come and find out more on Sundays at 10:15 am Glenorie Mission Church 1409 Northern Rd Glenorie.
